@utay62 Many, MANY 2 year olds just don't have the developmental capacity to participate in organized classes like gymnastics. Its just not developmentally appropriate. I get that some 2 yo's can do it, but most can't.
You did the right thing to acknowledge that you were triggered by your child's completely normal and developmentally appropriate behavior and just opt to head out early.
My advice here is twofold: 1) do some reflecting and decide if your child's behavior was inappropriate for the class or if YOU were just triggered by it. For all I know, your kid's behavior was in-line with general expectations for the class and he wasn't hurting anyone/anything and it was simply your expectations that need to be adjusted. If this is the case, then you have to decide - are you willing/capable of adjusting your expectations and embracing your child's behavior? Your kid doesn't NEED a gymnastics class at age 2. There are plenty of other options. So its totally fine if you can't handle this type of class right now. Its entirely reasonable to opt out of formal extracurriculars, especially in the toddler years, because the "benefits" to your child aren't worth the very real toll it takes on the parents.
2) if this class just is not a good fit for your kid, again, totally acceptable to just not do this type of class. There are usually open gym style gymnastics opportunities for toddlers where they just get to really let loose and explore. In my opinion, this is actually how all toddler gymnastics "classes" should be but yeah. My kid is 2.5 and the only structured class she does is swim lessons and I only do those because its the best option available to us and I think its important she has water/swim exposure for safety purposes.
Now, that said, it doesn't mean there aren't skills you can start working on now to help your child regulate/learn appropriate behavior, especially in public. Again though, this is AFTER adjusting your own expectations as a parent. Regulate yourself FIRST, then help your kid. One thing that can be helpful is talking about expectations during class before you get there. A lot of toddler parenting "experts" will call this "prep" or something similar. Prep the shit out of your kid. Talk about what they can expect, how they might feel, what YOU expect from them, etc. Also, role play! Practice gymnastics class at home! Sometimes you're the teacher and they are the student, and sometimes they are the teacher and you are the student. You should model both the behavior you want to see, and also model incorrect behavior (so that your child can identify it and "help" you correct it). Another thing to do in the moment is to pull your child away from the group, potentially out of the room, to take time to calm down and "reset." This isn't a time for you to scold or yell or shame them - its an opportunity to help them REGULATE (really, co-regulate because developmentally toddlers and children really only have the capacity to co-regulate).
Lastly, since you specifically mentioned you're looking for more tools for your arsenal, I strongly suggest the books "no bad kids" and "the whole brain child" as well as listening to the podcast "good inside" by Dr. Becky Kennedy (she also has a book I just haven't read it yet) and then the class by Big Little Feelings (find them on IG).